Oyabe Shishimai Lion Dance Festivals

Shishimai lion dances have long been a part of festive celebrations in Japan and Asia as a whole, serving as prayers for good harvests or as a means to ward off evil. Here in Oyabe, many different lion dances have developed over the years, often depicting a stylized fight between a warrior and a wild beast, and these dances remain part of the local culture to this day.

Various groups from dozens of neighborhoods, particularly in the Isurugi district of town, perform dozens of these lion dances, filling the town with traditional music and excitement. Don’t miss this unique local style, featuring long “lions” consisting of three or four performers under a long decorated cloth, and carrying an elaborate carved wood head. Here in Oyabe, they are generally fought by warriors played by children of elementary or middle school age, and the performance is accompanied by music played by both children and adults. If you hear traditional flute music outside during spring or autumn, the odds are good that if you follow it to its source, you’ll find a shishimai lion dance going on!

In the evenings during the festive first weekend of May (4th Saturday and Sunday), these lion dances are performed at Kannonji Temple and Fukumachi Shinmeigu Shrine, as religious offerings, giving visitors another chance to enjoy the exciting and joyous atmosphere of these dances, and the distinct character of each neighborhood’s style. There are also other shishimai lion dances at other times of year in Oyabe, with other spring performances in April, and autumn performances in late August, September, early October, and early November.